1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an ordinary household bathing apparatus that allows a disabled person to easily enter a bath.
2. Description of the Related Art
A conventional simple bathing bag for a disabled person, such as a bed-ridden older person, has been disclosed in unexamined utility model application publication HEI 6-61239. Namely, a bather is positioned inside this bathing bag using a closed-end bathing bag and then with the upper half of the bathers body in an inclined state, the bathing bag bathes the bather by supplying hot water from the end of a hose inserted from an open portion of the bathing bag thereafter the water discharges from the lower portion of the bathing bag through a hose inserted and positioned inside the bag. In a conventional simple bathing bag, it is necessary to insert and mount the end of the hose from the open portion of the bathing bag or the lower portion of the bathing bag. Because of this, the connection of the hose was troublesome and these was also the possibility that the operation could not be carried out well. Further, there was also another problem in which water would leak out from the end of the hose or the connection portion of the bathing bag when connecting and mounting a hose to the bathing bag.
Moreover, the conventional simple bathing bag disclosed in unexamined utility model application publication HEI 6-61239 naturally discharges water from the lower portion of the bathing bag after bathing is complete. Therefore, there was a fault in which time was required for the water to discharge making it impossible to completely discharge all the water inside the bathing bag. In addition, even if a pump was used to discharge the water, there was a problem of indentations which can occur on beds or futons where the bathtub is set at locations where the weight bearing buttocks portion of the bather are located thereby making it easy for hot water to collect. Hot water gathering in an indentation in this manner had to be scooped out using a small vessel or wiped up using many towels.
Even further, in order to wash the body of a bather, the conventional simple bathing bag disclosed in unexamined utility model application publication HEI 6-61239 had to discharge water from the lower portion of the bathing bag using a hose after supplying hot water an open portion of the bathing bag by pumping up water from a bathtub using a submerged pump. However, there was a fault in which too much time was required to discharge the water by only letting the water discharge naturally. If an discharge pump was newly used, two pumps would be necessary thereby increasing the complexity of operations as well as increasing costs. Further, when discharging hot water used to wash and rinse the body of a bather and then supply clean hot water, thee were problems in which too much time was required to discharge the water naturally making a large amount of hot water necessary. And, if two pumps were used, adjusting the amount of hot water was difficult and overflows occurred.
The conventional simple bathing bag disclosed in unexamined utility model application publication HEI 6-61239 had another problem in which if hot water was supplied to the inside of a bathing bag in a state wherein a bather was positioned inside a closed-end bathing bag with the upper half of the bathers body in an inclined state, the bathing bag would expand laterally due to the soft material of the bathing bag closing in on the body of the bather from the top and the bottom giving the bather an uncomfortable feeling of tightness. Moreover, it is also possible to manufacture a bathing bag using hard materials although for this case, a new problem surfaced in which it became difficult to position the bather inside the bathing bag.
Thereupon, the present invention provides a bathing apparatus that allows a simple connection between a bathing bag and hoses and in addition, even when connecting hoses to and removing hoses from the bathing bag, it is possible to completely remove bathing liquid remaining after discharging liquid from inside a bathing bag after bathing is complete without water inside the bathing bag or hoses overflowing allowing the body of a bather to be washed. Furthermore, a low-cost bathing apparatus can be provided with simple operations that prevents the bathing bag from expanding laterally while bathing making it possible for a bather to experience comfortable bathing without feeling a sense of incompatibility with the bathtub.